


Broken Rules

by lost_frequencies



Category: Transformers Animated (2007), Transformers: Prime
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-26
Updated: 2012-11-26
Packaged: 2017-11-19 14:46:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/574417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_frequencies/pseuds/lost_frequencies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rule #368: When it's apparent that you and the individual between you and your goal are both after the same thing, break the ice and try to negotiate. There's no harm in peaceful negotiation when it is an option.</p><p>It has always been that way for Swindle until a certain Decepticon medic, bereaved and on the verge of defecting, threatens to kill him and hijack his ship. </p><p>Warnings: Mature/Sexually explicit content.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Rules

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to dedicate this story to my friend Steele and the SwindleKO shippers on Tumblr. Special thanks to At0m for the lovely Swindle/KO artwork you supplied and for inspiring me to carry on with finding an ending this pairing deserves.
> 
> First chapter was co-written. The rest of this story will be re-written by yours truly.

_Rule #367: When going treasure hunting, always research the area where you'll begin your hunt. Be aware of hidden areas, traps and possible ambush locations. You never know if you've been followed. Statistics show that the quest for fortune and power is the leading cause of death for ambitious treasure hunters._

Swindle was starting to doubt himself. Not in the sense of doubting his abilities but in the sense of whether or not he should have gotten up that morning. Even with his usual medication, his head still throbbed in the background of his day. But he knew why he was in The Valley Of The Kings in Egypt and why he actually had to be here.

He originally heard a rumor of an ancient Cybertronian artifact in this region. It took him some time and research just to verify there was anything here. He hated to be made a fool out of or to travel all this way for nothing. It would be a waste of fuel if this was a fake. However, the readings in the area were proving otherwise. He had chosen dusk as the ideal time for showing up to do his search. It meant there were no tourists around to watch; privacy was what the businessmech wanted. He didn't need humans poking around while he went to retrieve his relic. Swindle knew that something like this would fetch a fortune on the black market. Not that he needed more credits. He _wanted_ more credits. Therein lies the difference.

But Swindle was sure that the uncomfortable feeling of sand caught in his plates would be worth it. Or it _had_ to be damned worth it. He was absolutely certain that he would spend ages polishing himself up later. He hated looking dirty or having his paintjob messed with. For one thing, appearance matters when making sales and building trust among his clients. A dirty dishevelled mech stood less of a chance making a decent sale than a clean and well-kept mech. That much he certainly knew.

And that was how he found himself wandering this rocky Egyptian wasteland tracking down his readings.

Swindle was certain he was closing in on his relic: _KV43_ was what he had mentally dubbed the relic simply because of its location in the Valley. It was near the _KV43_ tomb.

He didn't really think much of who inhabited the tomb or so much as to why, especially not with that relic still on his mind.

He paused mid-thought before looking up at the cliff face. That was where his signal was indicating. It was buried inside the cliff face.

_Wonderful. Just fragging wonderful._

Of course, it meant careful climbing and excavation. But to him, that meant to, “Watch your paintjob.” There was another way he could have extracted it. If he could simply go back to his ship and power it up, he might be able to use the on-board drill to excavate and grab the relic. Or that's what he would have done if it weren't for the sound of voices.

 _Go fetch me that relic_ , Swindle heard someone say. _The sooner we leave the better._

“Humans?” he thought aloud. “No. It _can’t_ be.” He had the area staked out earlier that day in his alt-mode and he personally had watched the last human leave. So who else could it be? Thinking quickly and with a sudden flurry of plates and parts, Swindle collapsed down and hid himself. He wanted to be safe and certain as to who it was before coming out of hiding. He waited until a few figures were in view. He could see them walking dangerously close to _his_ relic.

However, at least one of these individuals was someone he knew. Swindle recalled meeting him for the first time when he was still a Neutral. He wouldn't have really classified this mech as a threat. He could always attempt to sell him a can of fine wax. Of course, by his own judgement on his current appearance, the mech could use all the fine wax he could possibly get his talons on.

Swindle’s mind jumped to two conclusions: either they were both looking for the same thing or he just so happened to have stumbled into this location for another entirely different reason. He placed his bets on the former.

 _Rule #368: When it's apparent that you and the individual between you and your goal are both after the same thing, break the ice and try to negotiate. There's no harm in peaceful negotiation when it is an option._  
  
Sensing very little threat, Swindle carefully drove out of his hiding place and transformed back into robot mode. The businessmech then approached casually as though he were out on a pleasant stroll.

  
"Hey, Knock Out. Long time no see."

 

**.  
**

**.  
**

His systems were overheating with rage he had kept suppressed since returning from his last mission. Knock Out had had enough of listening to Megatron’s incessant praising for Soundwave, of being subjected to humiliation and being pushed around to do the dirty work.

As long as he was still functioning, the tyrant was determined to keep him on the edge and Knock Out had no choice but to abide by superior orders no matter how mundane or unbefitting they were.

The Nemesis was falling apart and so was he. He couldn’t even stand to look at his own reflection!

With Soundwave working hard on decoding the next batch of co-ordinates for the remaining relics, Knock Out and his assigned group of Vehicons had been sent to the Valley of the Kings, a place where ancient rulers lay to rest along with their treasures.

Despite his already foul mood, a Vehicon soldier designated M1-K3Y thought it best to share his research he’d gathered on this historic wasteland. "Grave robbery used to be rampant in the valley back in the ancient—"

“Shut up!” Knock Out snapped at the Vehicon. “Does it look like I care?"

The Vehicon stuttered, "M-my apologies, Officer Knock Out."

Knock Out hadn't bothered to learn much of Earth's history. And he didn't appreciate being educated on it either. They were here for one thing only and that was to retrieve a relic from some pharaoh’s burial chamber. He needed to make sure they’d get to it before those wretched Autobots show up and mess with his finish again. Never again would he let that happen. Never. Again.

He hated feeling this way. So humiliated, hapless and marred.

Knock Out pinged the soldiers back at base to bridge a driller. Three Vehicons stood on guard while M1-K3Y assisted the miner with the drilling.

He couldn’t wait for this gig to be over so he could spend the rest of his day trying to restore his precious framework. It was bothering him so much that he was utterly lost in a disarray of thoughts.

“How long is this going to take?” There was an impatient tone in the red medic’s voice. Knock Out could sense the growing uneasiness as he kept goading the soldiers to pick up the pace.

“We’re working as swiftly as we can, Officer Knock Out,” said one of the Vehicon soldiers.

He shook his head before walking away, feeling the need to transform and hit the road at full speed to blow off steam. But there was another bot in his way. He thought it was an Autobot waiting to jump him so he extended the energon prod and stood defensively.

The medic kept his optics glued to the bot, his mouth agape with confusion as his memory banks kept trying to match a name to this familiar face. Knock Out could've sworn he'd seen this mech around. But for the life of him, he could not remember. "Have we met?!"

Swindle threw his arms up in the universal I-come-in-peace gesture. He didn't take a step further to avoid aggravating the situation. "Hey, relax. I'm just a simple businessmech looking for potential clients. Of course, we have occasionally crossed paths in the past if my memory serves correct. The name’s Swindle. Nice to see you again."

"Hmph." Knock Out lowered the prod, his jealous optics couldn't resist staring at the businessmech’s snazzy appearance. He remembered now. They had met while he and Breakdown were transiting and waiting to board the next ship bound to the nearest galaxy. "You're the con-mech from Gigantion."

Swindle said, "Me? A con mech? Perish the thought! I only deal in top quality merchandise. But I do seem to recall you from Gigantion."

"So what's a mech like you doing in a place like this?"

Slowly, Swindle let his arms drop to his side, knowing for sure he wasn't going to be impaled by some sharp implement or another. "You know, I was about to ask you the same thing. It seems a little out of the way, doesn't it?" He glanced between Knock Out and the crew of Vehicons accompanying him. There seemed to be something missing, or more accurately, the big blue guy. What was his name? Breakdown was it? Weren't those two inseparable and practically welded at the hip? He then asked, "Where's your friend? Isn't the big guy usually with you?"

Knock Out had never trusted anyone else except Breakdown. If it weren't for the big brute and his friendly disposition, Knock Out would never have let Swindle talk him into spending his creds for a tub of heavy duty wax and a drill sharpener.

While Breakdown had found him entertaining to watch and listen to, Knock Out hadn't the patience to keep listening to the salesmech going on and on and on about the merchandise he had and why they're the best in the market.

As he stood and squinted his optics in suspicion at Swindle, his mind drifted back to their first deal on Gigantion.

_"Come on, KO. Where else are you gonna find anything like that anywhere. Sounds like a good deal to me."_

_"Ah, Breakdown." Knock Out finally gave in. He smiled back at the Stunticon as he made a wireless transfer of 1200 creds to Swindle. "Sometimes I find your gullibility to be persuasively endearing."_

Swindle, the arms dealer. Of course. Everything was coming back to him now. Even after milleniums, Swindle's smooth-talking had left quite an impression on Breakdown.

Knock Out wasn't going to tell Swindle about his recent loss. But he was willing to bargain: "You're here for the relic."

"And you're here for the same thing,” Swindle replied. “I suppose we should get down to business." He glanced up at the cliff face. The Decepticon drillers would never be able to reach that relic easily. However, The Endeavour's drill would be able to do it. He just had to go back to his ship and fly it over to this location. That all would have been easy if it weren't for the bright red (and currently scratched up) mech standing right in front of him.

"I can tell you that your drills will not be able to reach the relic so easily,” said Swindle. “But I do have something that will. I will loan you the use of The Endeavour's drill and perhaps allow you to keep the relic for a certain fee. Of course, that's entirely up to you. You can keep having a rough day as it appears that you have been having or I can help bail you out. Your choice.”

Knock Out would hate to admit that he was at fault, that he'd been giving the drones the wrong instructions and now they're wasting time drilling their way up toward the chamber. They could've just bridged the driller at the top.

What was he thinking?! No wait. He wasn't. He was too bothered, too distracted, too angry to be himself right now. He knew M1-K3Y had known about this all along but he'd been too afraid to tell his officer otherwise.

These drones had been so wary and afraid of him since he'd lost Breakdown. It was Breakdown they liked, not him. Breakdown was the mining supervisor. He was the one who knew how to instruct the miners and operate the drillers. Retrieving relics used to be a lot easier when he had Breakdown to do the work for him. And the big brute never seemed to mind.

He'd even encourage Knock Out to go out for a drive while he's busy monitoring the drones. Knock Out had saved his life time and time again and that was just Breakdown's way of returning the favour.

_"Because you deserve it, KO," Breakdown used to say._

"STOP!" Knock Out's voice boomed throughout the valley. The drilling stopped. M1-K3Y and his comrades were now staring at Knock Out and Swindle.

"If you want that relic," Knock Out said to the dealer, "you would have to negotiate with the one who'd ordered for me to retrieve it—Megatron."

"Well, if you don't require use of my drill, then I will simply sit here and watch you struggle. Could be fun," said Swindle before finding himself a wall to lean on. Something's off with the dealer, thought Knock Out. The salesmech wasn't looking very good all of a sudden. "OH ALRIGHT. How much do I owe you."

Despite everything, Swindle gave Knock Out a smile. "Smart choice. Glad to see you have come to your senses," he said, pulling out a datapad from his subspace. He punched in some information into his contract template and held it out to Knock Out. "With everything included, I think you will find this price reasonable."

" _25, 000_ —Are you trying to rob me, dealer?!"

Since joining the Decepticons on Earth as their medic, Knock Out sure had been paid well. All thanks to Starscream. At least the former Second-in-Command had been generous in that regard. However, he wasn't going to spend his hard-earned credits for some stupid relic.

Knock Out called for the drones. "Give me the passcodes to your cred accounts. ALL OF YOU!"       

The Vehicons jumped at their Commanding Officer barking for their accounts. Vehicons made decent funding. Perhaps collectively, they could pay for Swindle's drill. Perhaps if they did, maybe they might actually get praise? Well, they were sure if they didn't it would come with the threat of unwanted surgeries. Slowly but surely, account codes were being relinquished. There was no telling on the Vehicons’ faces if they were glaring at Knock Out with pure hatred or shock.

Swindle, on the other hand, was actually pleased with the outcome. He might have lost the relic for the moment but wasn't walking away empty handed at the very least.

Knock Out transferred the combined funds to Swindle. "Now bring us that driller."

Swindle took his datapad back and subspaced it. "I'm glad to have you as a repeat customer. It's a pleasure doing business with you," He then quickly collapsed back into vehicle mode. "I'll be right back.”

The Vehicons murmured among themselves. They couldn't believe Knock Out had just transferred their creds to the dealer without any hint of confirmation that he would bring the driller to them.  
  
"Sir, what if he doesn't return?" asked M1-K3Y.  
  
Knock Out's shoulder pauldrons fell in realisation. He emitted a low growl but didn't turn to look at the soldier. "Oh he won't be able to get away so easily. I'll make sure of that."  
  
They waited. But deep down, Knock Out was praying for Swindle to keep his word.

 

**.  
**

**.  
**

Swindle’s ship was disguised as a rather large sand dune. Now he could have run off with the credits and leave Knock Out stranded without a sufficient drill. That's what other business bots would have done. Those other business bots were usually the dead ones. Swindle usually liked to have at least delivered a product.

Moments later, he returned to the safe haven of his ship. It was a smaller older model Iaconian Drive Yard special to which Swindle customized the ever-loving Primus out of. For one thing, it was very fast. No sooner that he had gotten on board and fired up the engines that he took to the air and toward Knock Out's location.

For one thing, Swindle was grateful for being on his ship. It meant that on at least one level, he could deal with his medical issues alone without anyone watching him directly. It was going to be a quick project, he reminded himself. Quickly done and then he can land somewhere for a while. Take his meds and recharge for a bit. That sounded like a plan to him.

He arrived with his ship hovering over the drilling site. With a flick of a switch, the drill slid out from under The Endeavour and began the process of drilling. Swindle would have loved to relax for this moment, but keeping the ship in one spot was critical or any number of things could happen and all of them negative.

His body was giving him no mercy. He rubbed at his faceplate almost as if it would bring him some sort of relief.

_Almost done._

The drill bore through and powered down. It folded back in to its bay for future use. Pulling away, Swindle landed on a nearby dune.

Before he left his ship, he checked himself over. Other than how he felt right now, he looked presentable. At this point, that was all he could ask for. Swindle stepped out of his ship walking over to the drill site for he was also curious as to what this relic actually was. Even he didn't know what it was or what it was capable of.

 

**.**

**.**

"There he is!" said one of the drones after spotting a ship hovering over the cliff face.

 "You. Follow me," Knock Out ordered M1-K3Y. While the rest of the drones remained on the ground, Knock Out and M1-K3Y started climbing up to the burial chamber where Swindle's driller was already cutting through the cliff face.  
  
And there it was, KV34--the tomb of Tuthmosis III. M1-K3Y could not believe that he was looking into one of the most sophisticated tombs in the Valley. If he had a face, Knock Out would probably be tempted to slap away the awe he was expressing. He wished he had been smaller so he could actually explore the rest of the chambers. But the driller had already caused so much damage.  
  
M1-K3Y almost felt bad. It was a pity that they had to destroy such a historical monument but a job's a job.  
  
Knock Out reached for something that was hidden within one of the broken pillars in the chamber. Unlike M1-K3Y, he didn't care about what's around him. He had the relic! _And a rather strange-looking one_ , he thought. "What...is it."  
  
"That's Isis--one of the Egyptian gods," informed M1-K3Y. "She was modelled after an ancient seeker who visited Earth. Look at the wings and the orb resting on the helm. That's an electromagnetic sphere."  
  
Knock Out turned to look at the drone. And this time, he was really intrigued. "How do you know so much?"  
  
Before the drone could answer, Swindle walked in. He grinned. "Well! See anything interesting? You didn't really think that an honest mech such as myself wouldn't return, now would you?" He then stole a quick glance at what was, as far as he could ascertain, the relic. It was a strange looking thing disguised as a deity statue. Oh if only those humans actually knew how frighteningly accurate their ancient astronaut theory was! "That is certainly an interesting artifact. I would have to say that the ancient Cybertronians picked an equally interesting way of hiding it.”

Knock Out detached the electromagnetic sphere from the deity's helm. It was so small he could wrap his servo around it. He smiled connivingly as he had an inkling of what it was capable of.  
  
Millenniums ago, Knock Out was involved in a military experiment with a similar-looking spherical device invented for stealth and teleportation. However the soldier who volunteered in the experiment didn't return after he dematerialised.  
  
Vorns later, shortly before the war began, Vosian Airmechs discovered the soldier's upper torso at the peak of Mount Vector. The other half of his body was never found.  
  
The medic placed the electromagnetic sphere in between the prongs of his energon prod to activate it.  
  
"What I've always looked forward to after a successful relic hunt is the chance to conduct an on-site experiment," he said, before swerving the head of his prod and emitting a strong wave of electromagnetic radiation in Swindle's direction.

  
"Let's not be too hasty here! I'm sure that there's another perfectly willing guinea pig who'd love to be electrocuted!" said Swindle quickly.  
  
But before he could say anything more in an attempt to dissuade Knock Out, the sound of an electric charge hit the air with a familiar snap. He felt the tingle in his arms before anything else. Then followed by that foreign feeling of NOT BEING ON SOLID GROUND! Glancing downward, he could clearly see that he was up a certain height. His feet were no longer touching the earth.

Knock Out laughed. "Ahh...just as I suspected. It's a levitation device!"  
  
"H-hey! Let's work something out here! How about you put me down so we can negotiate?" said Swindle with nervousness in his voice.

"The Levitas," said M1-K3Y.  
  
"The what?" Knock Out asked.  
  
"That's what we should call it," replied the Vehicon.  
  
Knock Out then released Swindle from the prod's electromagnetic power. Swindle dropped to the ground suddenly with a very audible sandy wumph. The bot could drop and hit the ground in pieces for all he cared. He rolled his optics at the drone. "Ugh. Must you spoil everything for me? That's the most ridiculous name for a levitation device I've ever heard!"

Knock Out thought if he could get to the rest of the relics before Soundwave started decoding another set of co-ordinates, he might be given the upper hand. This was his chance at regaining the dignity he'd lost. And he was certain that there were similar relics like this.  
  
He knew there was a teleportation device. The Military had talked about it, back-engineered it, tested it, but could never get it to work as close to the original. Technology might have been simple then, yet the ancients held secrets modern science has yet to unravel.  
  
Since there was a levitation device, a few other similar devices must be in existence in order to activate its cloaking and teleportation capabilities. Now if only he could find the accompanying relics and get the devices to generate enough electromagnetic radiation...  
  
He ordered for M1-K3Y to leave so he could negotiate with Swindle in private.  
  
"Are you familiar with the history of ancient seekers and their ability to teleport great distances in search of suns to harvest? Well this is just one of it. The number of electromagnetic spheres needed to generate enough power has yet to be determined. This is where you come in. Your job isn't complete yet, dealer. I need you to locate the remaining relics for me. And...am willing to pay for your services."

Swindle picked himself up and dusted himself off. This was starting to look more lucrative than he originally planned. That was if he didn't end up as part of another experiment. However, Knock Out did seem willing to pay and that meant steady income for a while.  
  
Spitting sand out of his mouth, he propped himself up on his arms and glanced up at the medic. He held his tongue in saying anything particularly biting. Instead, he kept as civil as he could given the circumstances.

"I have heard of such stories in the past. I didn't give them as much credence until recently. However, it would seem that it was a great mistake to doubt these stories as recent evidence would suggest. For the right price, I can assist you. Allow me to draft up another contract and we can call it a deal," said Swindle.  
  
With his datapad out and a new contract drafted up, he held it out to Knock Out with a sly smile.  
  
"All you have to do is sign on the dotted line."


End file.
